


the Touch test

by TunefulCandour



Category: His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman, Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Daemons, Daemons, M/M, Mild S&M undertones, POV Jim Moriarty, POV Sebastian Moran, Touching, Unresolved Romantic Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-21
Updated: 2013-11-21
Packaged: 2018-01-02 06:07:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1053401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TunefulCandour/pseuds/TunefulCandour
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Unfolding from my stiff chair I sat myself on the desk; legs crossed, and looking up at my employ critically.<br/>“Do you know why I’ve called you here, Seb?”<br/>"No, Sir."<br/>I put on my best puppy dog eyes and smiled at Moran uncaringly.<br/>“I need to conduct an experiment on your dæmon.”<br/>--<br/>Moriarty cares little about taboo, and is itching to test something he's been thinking on for some time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	the Touch test

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Limelasers](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Limelasers/gifts).



> I actually wrote this a few years back and posted it on my (now defunct) LiveJournal account. I found it again today, fixed up some grammar mistakes and thought I'd repost it ♥  
> Gifted to Limelasers because she helped me out with planning at the time

the Touch test

I was called abruptly to my boss’ office in the mid-afternoon for an ‘urgent meeting’. As I approached I passed by a fellow sniper who breathed heavily as they cradled a crimson, whimpering bundle to their chest. I stepped into the room gingerly, stooping slightly to ensure my dæmon did not injure herself on the doorframe. The red kite perched on my shoulder sent her gratitude through our bond in silent thanks.

Gelasia and I stood patiently before the desk as Moriarty casually cleaned the blood off of a fountain pen, before returning it, capped, to the usual place. He reclined in his chair, leaning onto the rear legs much as a schoolboy would. As much as he seemed to be doing nothing at all I knew by now that he was deep in thought, his brows furrowed together almost unnoticeably. It would be unwise to bother him. We waited for our charge’s orders in silence.

**M**

_Aesina was coiled loosely around my wrist, tasting the air and tightening her grip when she detected the unmistakable hint of fear. Did Sebastian not know that he was safe, so long as he did not anger me?_

_I let out a sigh through my nose. Brilliant as my man was, he could still be so painfully stupid, like the rest of them. Unfolding from my stiff chair I sat myself on the desk; legs crossed, and looking up at my employ critically._

_“Do you know why I’ve called you here, Seb?”_

**M**

I swallowed, not once shifting from my spot before him.

“No sir, I do not.”

The Irishman in front of me sighed dramatically, pulling a hand up to rest his chin upon and gazing at me with deceptively large brown eyes.

_“Really now, Seb, how many times do I need to tell you? You can call me Jim.”_

But I knew the difference between ‘can’ and ‘should’, between ability and permission. We had learnt the hard way after a plan gone wrong and since then had been on our best behaviour to ensure Ji- …To ensure Moriarty would never be displeased in our service again. Speaking or moving out of turn was expressly forbidden.

We stood and waited for him to continue, Gelasia’s keen, white-gold eyes trained on the pygmy rattlesnake protruding from the tailored sleeve.

**M**

_I put on my best puppy dog eyes and smiled at Moran uncaringly._

_“I need to conduct an experiment on your dæmon.”_

_Even without a snake’s tongue the fear from the bronze bird was palpable, and Aesina delighted in it, her rattle pressed flush to my skin to ensure it would not sound in her excitement. She hissed softly, once, and watched the bird tilt its gaze a fraction. Sebastian’s eyes widened a tad, and I left him guessing for a few seconds, pushing his nerves. Our bond was humming in pleasure as my dæmon and I toyed with our willing prey._

_“Come, come now,” I cooed, “I didn’t say it would hurt, did I? Take a seat and place Gelasia on the table.”_

“… Yes, Sir.”

_He moved efficiently and quickly, sitting before me with an expression set in stone. It was disappointing, really, but to be expected given the circumstances._

**M**

Gelasia flapped twice, standing on the table before our boss obediently and never once breaking eye contact with the tiny snake dæmon. As Moriarty moved his hand towards her she clacked her beak, unable to maintain her silence when the very real fear of Touching was present.

We had been punished via Touch only a month ago. Moriarty ordered three men to hold my Gelasia down; one holding her head and beak, the other two with a wing each and they had twisted until her cries had become hoarse and my tears were freely flowing.  
But then that had been with gloved hands.  
That had been a warning.

This was a curious psychopath about to lay his hand on a dæmon as an ‘experiment’.

**M**

_I could see Sebastian holding his tongue, and his attempt to hide his worry – his hiding ANYTHING from me – was laughable, and not a little insulting. I let the insubordination slide, he probably didn’t even realise he was doing it._

_“Sebastian, don’t hide things from me.” I warned, “Honesty is the best policy, is it not?”_

_A pause, and then:_

“Sir-”

_“Call me Jim.”_

“J… Jim. What is your experiment?”

_My name from his lips coiled around my mind, and Aesina slithered onto the desk beside its fellow dæmon, the resulting flinch from Gelasia making me smirk.  
Quite the open book past the cover, weren’t they?_

_“Well” I drawled, “I’ve wanted to test out the difference between dæmons and animals for quite some time now. The ability to talk, the bond, et cetera, that’s all quite obvious. What has been eluding me is the texture.”_

_I halted a moment, and one could almost see the gears in his head turning as he pieced together my intention. I looked around the room, musing to myself._

_“Dæmons are a sort of half-way house between natural and man-made. They’re not processed, but they cannot occur without us. They are neither human, nor animal, nor fabricated. They are another substance entirely. Which begs the question:  
 Do dæmons’ forms feel the same as their animals?”_

**M**

I had unconsciously leant closer to the desk a few inches as he had been talking, but if he’d noticed he hadn’t said anything to discourage me. Gelasia clacked again, and our bond told me she was accepting. We were prepared to let Moriarty use us in his experiment. This was not just loyalty speaking, though, this was also desperation. We longed to feel his Touch, even if it was pain. To have his thin hands press against my very soul, to feel him… I would know soon.

“I trust you, Sir.”

Not meaning to voice the thought, I was surprised when the clever mouth twisted into a smile, dark eyes glittering with something foreign and dangerous. He lifted his hand.

_“I know.”_

The reptilian dæmon seemed to be taunting me as it curled up, setting its sights on the hand nearest to it and flicking her forked tongue. Her pallid body enticed me, and it would have been easy to reach out had I no idea of the consequences.

**M**

_The feathers on the crest of the kite’s head were soft, and every creature in the room took a breath. I used the back of my hand to pet her, varying pressure and direction as I mentally recorded my findings. Trembling under my ministrations the dæmon keened softly, and a quick glance to Moran showed he was not immune to the reported bliss Touching was capable of instilling in people. A light flush had started to appear. Interesting, further research was needed._

_Aesina’s want surged through our bond, but I did not allow her to move. She was never to be Touched. She was mine and mine alone, and I had not worked and slaved for years to allow myself to be weakened by simple emotions and visceral needs._

_My hand gripped the plume roughly and pulled._

**M**

It was beyond anything we had imagined. Jim’s hand carded through the milky fluff with the upmost care, filling me with a warmth and pleasure that ached into my very bones. I worked hard to keep my face impassive, looking anywhere but the snake. I had to keep my temptation in check if I wished to remain in the Eden of pleasure I found myself in. But I knew Moriarty was far from benevolent, and if Aesina wished to plunge her fangs into my flesh, plump and succulent as the fruit, I would be willing to face the punishment. As my hand twitched, so did his.

Neither Gelasia nor I were prepared for the spike of pain caused by the feathers being plucked so harshly, and it was difficult to place whether my hiss was of pleasure or discomfort. Not one being in the room seemed to have predicted what happened next, despite the extensive research the man before me must have undergone prior to the meeting. The mottled shapes rapidly dissolved into thin air, reverting to their core particles and filling the room with a soft golden haze.

_“Beautiful.”_

The man breathed out the word, barely a whisper, and as I looked at his widened eyes and childish fascination, I was inclined to agree. He had taken a part of me, and it was the most enchanting thing I have ever seen.

 


End file.
